Leslie's Italian Stuffed Peppers

Threw this together as an experiment & it turned out pretty yummy!!  Hope you like!

Ingredients:

1# ground Italian sausage

2-3 bell peppers

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C chopped cabbage

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

Small can tomato sauce

1 T Butter

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Start sausage browing in a skillet over medium heat & crumble as it cooks.

2. Meanwhile, cut bell pepper in half lengthwise & remove seeds. Place in a baking dish.

3. When sausage is cooked, set aside in a collander to drain well.

4. In the skillet, melt 1 T butter & saute onion, garlic & cabbage.  Add tomatoes & sauce, simmer to break down tomato chunks.  Season with an Italian blend if desired.

5. Return sausage to skillet & mix everything together.  

6. Spoon some into bell pepper halves, layer with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Stuff as much as you can in there & top with cheese.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly & browned on top.  Enjoy!  :)

Note:  I made about half this much for 2 pepper halves & had a little filling leftover.

Parmesan-crusted Chicken

I was craving fried chicken but I hate making it... too messy!  So I threw together this dish that went beyond satisfaction.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved & pounded out to about 1/2"
2 eggs, beaten
About 1/2 C grated Parmesan/Romano cheese blend
About 1/4 C flour
2 T butter
2 T EVOO
Salt & pepper

1. Prepare 1 bowl with the eggs & another bowl with the cheese & flour blended together.
2. Over medium heat, in a nonstick skillet, melt butter & blend in EVOO.
3. Salt & pepper chicken, dip in egg then coat each side with the cheese blend & into the pan.  Brown both sides until they're a nice golden color then remove to a baking sheet.
4. Finish off in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Kitchen note:  Pounding chicken tenderizes the meat and finishing in the oven rather than the stovetop gives you deliciously juicy results!

Lasagna Fake-Out!

Love lasagna but hate the work??  You'll love this cheesy 30 minute fake-out!  Super easy and oh-so-yummy.

Ingredients:
1# spicy Italian ground sausage
1 small yellow onion, about 1 C chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C dry white wine
Fresh spinach
1 can tomato sauce
About 1 T Italian seasoning
About 10 oz. fresh cheese ravioli, such as Bertolli from the refrigerated section
Shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese

1. Crumble sausage while cooking over medium heat.  Remove to a collander to drain off grease.
2. In the same pan, heat about 1 T EVOO and cook onion and garlic until tender, then add wine. Simmer for a few minutes. **Start water to boil for pasta.
3. Meanwhile, roughly chop spinach.  (I didn't put an amount because you can use as much or little as you like. I use about 3 big handfuls.)  Add spinach to the pan to wilt.
4. Add tomato sauce and return sausage to the pan. Stir in Italian seasoning.  Bring to an easy simmer.
5. Cook ravioli according to package directions. Drain and add to sauce. Serve with your choice of cheese - and garlic toast, of course!  :)

Eggplant parmesan over grilled chicken...

For some reason I was craving my favorite dish from Cafe Red Onion (for you Houstonites), the Chicken Brazil. So I came up with something similar, without all the fattening queso... this recipe will serve 2, with leftover eggplant parmesan. Just increase the chicken to go with what you have on hand. One eggplant will probably make enough for 4 servings. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, marinated in Italian dressing
1 small eggplant
2 eggs, beaten
1 - 1 1/2 C breadcrumbs, Italian seasoned
1/2 jar Bertolli Italian Sausage spaghetti sauce
1/2 C parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 C monterrey jack cheese, shredded (or provalone slices)

1. Slice eggplant fairly thin - 8 slices (or more). Dip into eggs, then press into breadcrumbs so they are liberally coated and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
2. Meanwhile, coat bottom of square baking dish with spaghetti sauce. When eggplant is done, place in a single layer in baking dish. Top with more sauce then parmesan and jack cheeses. Repeat with another layer of eggplant, sauce and cheeses.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, grill chicken.
5. When all is done, slice chicken and serve eggplant parmesan on top next to a salad with tomatoes and avocado! Yum!!

Semi-Homemade Manicotti

Obviously, I love Italian food. I also love shortcuts on these long days. I just popped this one in the oven. Overall, it takes just over an hour to prepare! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 C ricotta cheese
1 3/4 C shredded mozzarella
3/4 C grated romano cheese (use parmesan in a pinch)
1/3 C chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 T milk
3 large eggs
1 C water
3/4 C flour
3 C store-bought meat sauce (I use 1 jar of Classico Italian Sausage)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 C mozzarella, 1/2 C romano, parsley & milk.
2. Preheat a non-stick skillet to medium heat. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk the eggs with water. Whisk in flour.
3. You may need to brush the skillet with a dab of oil... ladle 3 T batter onto the skillet then tilt the pan in a circular motion to spread out the batter.

Cook 1 minute, flip & cook 1 minute more. Repeat with remaining batter, stacking the crepes on a plate.
4. Spread 1/2 the meat sauce into a 9x13" baking dish. To save some time, in between pouring the crepe batter, spoon cheese mixture down the center of each already done crepe.

Roll closed & arrange into baking dish.


5. When your baking dish is full, top with remaining meat sauce and cheeses.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Deconstructed Lasagna

The Spring semester is the busiest time for me so I just don't have time for elaborate meals. I had a craving for lasagna the other night - who ever has time for that!? :) This is another Rachael Ray recipe that satisfied my taste for the traditional. Fusilli is hard to find sometimes, so sub bowtie pasta if needed!

Ingredients:
kosher salt & pepper
1# long fusilli pasta (or a little less if you're using bowtie)
2 T EVOO
1# lean ground sirloin
1 small carrot
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 C beef broth
1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes
a few leaves of fresh basil (or sub a dash of dried)
1 C ricotta cheese
1/2 C fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 T butter
2/3 grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (or regular parm)

1. Bring water to boil in a large pot, salt it & add pasta. Cook to al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat EVOO over medium heat. Add beef, crumbling to bits as it cooks until lightly browned (3-4 min).
3. Over the skillet, grate in carrot, onion & garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Cook until vegetables are softened then stir in beef broth, tomatoes & basil. Let simmer.
4. In small bowl, stir together ricotta & parsley.
5. When pasta is done, drain & return to pot. Stir in butter then the parmesan & meat sauce. Serve over a dollop of the ricotta mixture with a hunk of toasty garlic bread alongside! MMMM!

Granted, it's not quite as good as the real thing, but it gets the job done! Enjoy! :)